A version of this post originally appeared on the Africa in Transition blog. The views expressed are the author's own.

The Australia based, Walk Free Foundation on Oct. 17 published their first annual Global Slavery Index. The Index ranks 162 countries by how prevalent slavery is in each country and by absolute numbers of the population that is in slavery.

“Slavery” refers to the condition of treating another person as if they were property–something to be bought, sold, traded, or even destroyed.

“Forced labor” is a related but not identical concept, referring to work taken without consent, by threats or coercion.

“Human trafficking” is another related concept, referring to the process through which people are brought, through deception, threats, or coercion, into slavery, forced labor, or other forms of severe exploitation.”

Half of the ten countries with the highest prevalence of slavery worldwide are African.

Walk Free also ranks countries by the absolute number of people in slavery. The ten countries with the most slaves are: India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Together these countries account for 76 percent of the 29.8 million people in slavery worldwide.

Countries with the lowest prevalence of slavery are: Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland.

The Index uses pre-existing data. Some of which were collected by individual countries and by Kevin Bales at Free the Slaves.

This is the first time however, that the data were collected together into a single report to provide a global overview of modern slavery.

Walk Free was founded in May 2012 by Andrew and Nicola Forrest. The aims of the foundation include: identifying countries and industries most responsible for modern slavery; identifying and implement interventions in those countries and industries that will have the greatest impact on modern slavery; and to critically assess the impact of these interventions.

They believe that slavery can be, finally, eliminated with broad grassroots public support, legislative action, and socially responsible corporate policy.